Future Lloyd Newsletter
February 20, 2024
Thank you for reading our Lloyd Center Master Plan update.
Urban Renaissance Group is thrilled to be leading planning for the redevelopment of the Lloyd Center site in Northeast Portland. Our goal is to create an exciting, new, uniquely Portland neighborhood, with housing, retail, open space, entertainment, work spaces and more. We envision an energized, welcoming and inclusive neighborhood that inspires diverse communities to connect, gather and do business.
We are still early in the planning process, and we want to give you a sense of what to expect in the months ahead. First a recap of what we’ve accomplished over the last 18 months:
- Conceptual Plan. In September, we filed our first conceptual master plan design for the property with the Portland Design Commission.
- Design Commission Early Feedback. We participated in Design Commission Advice sessions Nov. 2 and Dec. 21, and received valuable advice from commission members and the community about our early design concepts. We have also had ongoing conversation with critical city infrastructure bureaus to understand what for the site will need as we move forward with a Central City Master Plan for the Lloyd Center site.
- Community Engagement. We know Portlanders care about the future of the Lloyd Center site, so we started early to elicit community feedback. To date, we’ve participated in more than 80 opinion leader interviews; conducted a 600-person city-wide poll and held in-person conversations with resident and business organizations in the Lloyd, Sullivan’s Gulch and Irvington neighborhoods. Our outreach efforts are ongoing, and we hope all of you know we want to hear from you. To participate in future community engagement events, please sign up for updates by emailing us at futurelloyd@lloydcenter.com.
Based on what we have heard from Design Commission and the community, we are continuing to refine our proposed Master Plan. In the next several weeks, we expect to file a formal land-use application under the Central City Master Plan (CCMP) process. That application will trigger a public process that will include public hearings with the Design Commission, as well as continued community outreach by the project team. As critical dates approach, we will let you know what to expect.
We will spend 2024 focused on collaboratively developing a Master Plan. Once the plan is approved by the Design Commission, planning for individual building sites and parks and open spaces will follow, most likely with the participation of several development partners. It will be some time before any construction commences, but the vision will be set. We believe it will be an exciting new neighborhood in the heart of Portland.
We will keep you informed as the process continues. In the meantime, thank you for your interest in Future Lloyd.
Meet the Team
If you have attended any of our community meetings, you have probably met members of URG’s Lloyd Center team. Here’s a quick introduction:
Tom Kilbane is the head of URG’s Portland office. He has been a partner with the firm for 16 years, and has played a leadership role in their most visible Portland projects, including the 1320 Building (formerly the Oregonian Building), Canvas at the Press Blocks and Press Blocks Residential. Tom and his wife Lauren live in Portland and have two college-aged sons.
Krista Bailey is URG’s vice president for development and project management. She joined the firm nine years ago after several successful years as a property developer and manager in the Portland-metro area. A native Oregonian, Krista and her husband Stu have two sons and live in Tigard.
Joey Shoemaker has been a senior project manager for URG for two years. He worked in property development in Northern California and Washington, D.C., before moving to Portland in 2019. He and his wife Mackenzie have three children and live in Lake Oswego.
Urban Renaissance Group was founded in 2006 with the core belief that the renaissance of cities and the creation of place in suburbs represented a fundamental shift in the American Landscape. This shift opened unique opportunities to shape the built environment with an emphasis on placemaking. The company is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Portland and Denver. Completed and current Portland projects include 1320 Broadway, Canvas at Press Blocks, and Press Blocks Residential. Visit www.urbanrengroup.com to learn more.
What Does the Central City Master Plan Do?
The city of Portland’s unique Central City Master Plan (CCMP) process brings together multiple city bureaus to develop a coordinated vision for a specific area or neighborhood. For private developers, like Urban Renaissance Group, it creates an opportunity to work with city leaders on a long-term vision for a large site.
The Central City 2035 plan did not specifically include the Lloyd Center site as a targeted master plan area. The property owners have voluntarily selected to participate in the CCMP process, which includes an obligation to dedicate 20% of the plan area to open space.
When approved, the Lloyd Center Central City Master Plan will describe a high-level framework for the long-term redevelopment of the site. It will show the future location of new or extended public and private streets, as well as bike and pedestrian pathways, and it will illustrate how the transportation network within the development site will interact with the surrounding transportation systems, including streets, highways, light rail, buses, bikes, and pedestrian pathways.
The CCMP process will also provide an opportunity to consider the current and future conditions of the adjoining community as we plan the new neighborhood’s open space. We hope to create thoughtful and welcoming plazas, green space, and activity centers in the new neighborhood. The Lloyd Center Master Plan will describe where the open spaces will be within the overall site, but the actual spaces will be developed over time, providing us with ample opportunity to respond to the values of the community on the design.
Finally, the Master Plan will identify individual development sites within the plan area, which will act as a framework for future development. It is important to understand that the Master Plan will not describe specific buildings or uses on those sites. That will come later, as developers propose specific projects within the Lloyd Center Master Plan area. At the end of the day, we expect that we will see a mix of building heights and uses developed within the Master Plan area over the next decade or more. We expect significant multi-family development, with opportunity for thousands of new housing units, in the new neighborhood. The housing will be geared toward an array of income levels and will meet the city’s affordable housing requirements. There will be further review at the city as specific development projects move forward.
Portland Performing Arts Center
We are very pleased that the city of Portland has put Lloyd Center on the short list of potential new sites for its largest performing arts center, as it considers the future of Keller Auditorium.
A performance venue would be a great catalyst for the newly reimagined Lloyd Center site. It would be the only one of the Portland 5 venues to be located on the east side, bringing culture closer to diverse communities to connect, serve, and provide access. And Lloyd Center’s proximity to MAX, streetcar, multiple bus lines and major freeways ensures that people from across the region would have easy access to performances.
We are aware that the city has several issues to weigh as it decides the future of Keller Auditorium and the long-term location of its performing arts center. We are excited that Lloyd Center will be part of the conversation.
Visit Lloyd Center Today!
While we are busy creating a vision for the future of the Lloyd Center site, it is important to remind everyone that the shopping mall remains open and active.
With about 100 tenants, the Lloyd Center mall is home to some of Portland’s most creative small businesses. Whether you are looking for comic books or magic performances, you can find it at Lloyd Center. The ice rink is open and active, and Joe Brown’s Carmel Corn continues to satisfy Portland’s sweet tooth.
At some point, as the newly reimagined Lloyd Center site begins to take shape, the Lloyd Center mall will cease to exist. We can’t say when that will be and, in the meantime, it remains open and active. We have focused on improving our visitors’ experiences, including expanding security and offering special events geared toward the entire family. We continue to sign new leases and renew existing tenants, with an eye on keeping Lloyd Center exciting and inviting!
Check out the Events Page to see what’s happening there now.
What’s your big idea?
Do you have an idea for the newly re-visioned Lloyd Center site? Let us know! Email us at futurelloyd@lloydcenter.com.
Questions? Email us at futurelloyd@lloydcenter.com.